Remote power control system and power supply tap

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment, a power supply tap includes a first wireless reception module which receives a control request which is transmitted from a remote-control terminal by a first wireless signal, a power observation module which is activated in a case where the received control request includes a power information acquisition request, and observes a total amount of power including power supplied to an electric apparatus from a power output module and power consumed by a communication control module, a first wireless transmission module which transmits the observed total amount of power to the remote-control terminal by a second wireless signal, and a switch control module which turns off a switch in a case where the control request received by the first wireless reception module includes a power-off request, thereby shutting off power supply to the electric apparatus from the power output module.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2007-283847, filed Oct. 31, 2007, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

One embodiment of the invention relates to a remote power control systemfor remote-controlling, by a wireless signal, power that is supplied toan electric apparatus, and a power supply tap which is used in theremote power control system.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, various electric apparatuses, such as televisions andaudio/video recorders, are used in homes. Even while these electricapparatuses are in the power-off state, the electric apparatuses consumepower (standby power) in the standby state in which the electricapparatuses stand by, for example, for the reception of a signal whichis sent from a remote-control module. Thus, in order to reduce to zerothe power including standby power, which is consumed by the electricapparatuses, it is necessary to disconnect power cables of the electricapparatuses from plug sockets.

In usual cases, however, the plug sockets are disposed at corners ofrooms, and there are cases in which the plug sockets are disposed atplaces which are hidden by electric equipment or furniture. Thus,actually, it is not always easy for users to frequently pull out powercables of electric apparatuses from plug sockets.

Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. H10-282161 discloses a powerconsumption monitor system which monitors the power that is consumed byelectric apparatuses.

This power consumption monitor system monitors the power that isconsumed by electric apparatuses so that the power consumed by theelectric apparatuses may not exceed a tolerable power amount. In thispower consumption monitor system, the power that is consumed by theelectric apparatuses is measured by a power meter which is provided in aplug socket adapter which functions as a power supply tap. The amount ofpower measured by the power meter is transmitted to a plug socketmonitor by a wireless communication module which is provided in the plugsocket adapter, and the measured power amount is displayed on a displaydevice of the plug socket monitor. If the power consumed by the electricapparatuses exceeds a predetermined value, the plug socket monitorinforms the user of this fact, or reports it to a center.

However, this power consumption monitor system, as described above, isthe system for monitoring the power that is consumed by electricapparatuses so that the power consumed by the electric apparatuses maynot exceed a tolerable power amount. No consideration is given to ascheme for power saving, which reduces, e.g. standby power that issupplied to the electric apparatuses.

In the above-described power consumption monitor system, the power meterprovided in the plug socket adapter is always in operation formonitoring power. Consequently, the plug socket adapter consumes arelatively large power at all times, for example, owing to the operationof the power meter itself.

In order to achieve power saving, it is important not only to reduce asmuch as possible the power consumed by the electric apparatuses and thestandby power thereof, but also to reduce the power consumed by thepower supply tap such as the plug socket adapter.

Besides, in the above-described power consumption monitor system, thepower that is measured by the power meter is only the power consumedwhen the electric apparatuses operate, and the amount of power that isconsumed by communication control circuits (a current meter, a wirelesstransmission module), which are provided in the plug socket adapter, isnot measured. Thus, in this power consumption monitor system, the usercannot exactly understand the amount of power that is actually consumed.In order to make the user conscious of power saving, it is necessary toinform the user of the exact amount of power that is actually consumed.

It is necessary, therefore, to realize a novel function which cansufficiently support the operation relating to power saving by the user,with low power consumption and a simple operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A general architecture that implements the various feature of theinvention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Thedrawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrateembodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of theinvention.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram showing the configuration of aremote power control system according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram showing the system configurationsof a power supply tap and a remote-control terminal, which constitutethe remote power control system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flow chart illustrating the procedure of apower-off process which is executed by the remote power control systemaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary flow chart illustrating the procedure of apower-on process which is executed by the remote power control systemaccording to the embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is an exemplary flow chart illustrating the procedure of a powerinformation display process which is executed by the remote powercontrol system according to the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments according to the invention will be describedhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. In general,according to one embodiment of the invention, a remote power controlsystem including a power supply tap and a remote-control terminal whichremote-controls the power supply tap by a wireless signal, the powersupply tap comprises a power input module configure to be inputtedpower, a power output module configure to output the input power to anelectric apparatus, a switch disposed between the power input module andthe power output module, and a communication control module configure toexecute wireless communication with the remote-control terminal, thecommunication control module including a first wireless reception modulewhich receives a control request which is transmitted from theremote-control terminal by a first wireless signal, a power observationmodule configure to be activated in a case where the control requestreceived by the first wireless reception module includes a powerinformation acquisition request, and to observe a total amount of powerconsumed via the power supply tap, the total amount of power includingpower supplied to the electric apparatus from the power output moduleand power consumed by the communication control module, a first wirelesstransmission module configure to transmit the total amount of power,which is observed by the power observation module, to the remote-controlterminal by a second wireless signal, and a switch control moduleconfigure to turn off the switch in a case where the control requestreceived by the first wireless reception module includes a power-offrequest, thereby shutting off power supply to the electric apparatusfrom the power output module, and the remote-control terminal comprisesan input module, a second wireless transmission module configure totransmit the control request, which includes one of the powerinformation acquisition request and the power-off request, to the powersupply tap by the first wireless signal in response to an operation ofthe input module, a second wireless reception module configure toreceive the observed total amount of power which is transmitted from thepower supply tap by the second wireless signal, and a display moduleconfigure to display information relating to the power consumed via thepower supply tap, on the basis of the total amount of power which isreceived by the second wireless reception module.

To begin with, with reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of a remotepower control system according to an embodiment of the present inventionis described.

This remote power control system is a system for remote-controlling thepower, which is supplied to an electric apparatus, by a wireless signal(radio wave). The remote power control system comprises a power supplytap 11 and a remote-control terminal 21 which remote-controls the powersupply tap 11 by a wireless signal. The remote-control terminal 21 is,for instance, a handheld remote controller.

The power supply tap 11 is a so-called power supply outlet whichsupplies power, such as commercial power from a plug socket, to one ormore electric apparatuses. The power supply tap 11 includes a powerinput module to which power from the plug socket is input, and at leastone power output module which outputs the power, which is input from thepower input module, to at least one electric apparatus. FIG. 1 shows, byway of example, a case in which the power supply tap 11 is provided withtwo power output modules 12 and 13. Each of the two power output modules12 and 13 is composed of, for instance, a receptacle.

The power supply tap 11 has a zero-standby-power function. Thezero-standby-power function is realized by a communication controlmodule which is provided in the power supply tap 11. The communicationcontrol module is configured to execute wireless communication with theremote-control terminal 21 via an antenna 14 which is provided on thepower supply tap 11. The antenna 14 may be built in the casing of thepower supply tap 11.

The communication control module has a power report function. In thepower report function, in response to a control request including apower information acquisition request, which is sent from theremote-control terminal 21, the communication control module observesthe amount of power that is consumed via the power supply tap 11, andsends the observed power consumption amount to the remote-controlterminal 21.

The process of observing the amount of power is not executed at alltimes, but is executed only when the control request from theremote-control terminal 21 is received.

Specifically, the communication control module includes a powerobservation module such as a current meter. The power observation moduleis activated only when the control request from the remote-controlterminal 21 is received by the communication control module, andexecutes power observation. Thereby, compared to the structure in whichthe observation of power amount is always executed, the powerconsumption of the communication control module can greatly be reduced.

In the process of observing the amount of power, the power observationmodule observes not only the power (the power consumed by the electricapparatus and the standby power of the electric apparatus) which issupplied from the power supply tap 11 to the electric apparatus that isconnected to the power supply tap 11 via, e.g. a power cable, but alsothe power consumed by the communication control module. The powerobservation module measures the total amount of power consumed by thepower supply tap 11, which includes the power supplied to the electricapparatus via the power supply tap 11 and the power consumed by thecommunication control module. Therefore, the amount of power consumed bythe power supply tap 11 can exactly be reported to the remote-controlterminal 21, with the amount of power consumed by the communicationcontrol module being taken into account.

The zero-standby-power function also includes a power-off function forshutting off power which is supplied from the power output module 12, 13to the electric apparatus connected to the power output module 12, 13,in response to a control request including a power-off request which issent from the remote-control terminal 21 by a wireless signal. Thispower-off function can individually shut off power output from each ofthe power output modules 12 and 13, and can shut off, at the same time,power output from the power output modules 12 and 13. The power-offfunction realizes the same power supply control as in the case ofpulling the power cable of the electric apparatus from the plug socket,by remote-control from the remote-control terminal 21. By this power-offfunction, the user can easily reduce to zero the power (standby power),which is consumed by the electric apparatus at the standby time of theelectric apparatus, simply by operating the remote-control terminal 21,without performing the operation of pulling the power cable of theelectric apparatus from the plug socket.

By the above-described zero-standby-power function, the operationrelating to the power saving by the user can sufficiently be supportedwith small power consumption and a simple operation.

Further, when the power-off function is executed, the power observationmodule observes, as information indicative of the power saving effect bythe power-off, the value of either the variation of the total poweramount before and after the power-off or the total power amount afterthe power-off. The communication control module transmits the value,which is observed by the power observation module, to the remote-controlterminal 21 by a wireless signal as the information indicative of thepower saving effect by the power-off.

In this manner, at the time of the power-off, the information indicativeof the power saving effect by the power-off is sent to theremote-control terminal 21, and thereby the user can easily confirm theeffect by the power-off. Hence, the user can be made more conscious ofenergy saving.

The remote-control terminal 21 is a remote controller whichremote-controls the power supply tap 11. The remote-control terminal 21has, for example, a thin card-shaped main body. An input module 22, adisplay module 23 and a light-receiving module (solar panel) of a solarcell module 24 are disposed, for example, on a top surface of the mainbody.

The input module 22 is an input device for a user operation, andincludes a plurality of operation buttons 221, 222, 223 and 224.

The operation button 221 is, for instance, an operation button forinquiring of the power supply tap 11 about the present amount of powerconsumed via the power supply tap 11. In the case where the operationbutton 221 is pressed by the user, the remote-control terminal 21transmits a control request including a power information acquisitionrequest to the power supply tap 11.

The operation button 222 is an operation button for turning on/off thepower supply from the power output module 12 to the electric apparatuswhich is connected to the power output module 12 via, e.g. the powercable. In the case where the operation button 222 is pressed by theuser, the remote-control terminal 21 transmits to the power supply tap11 a control request including a power-on request or a power-off requestto the power output module 12.

The operation button 223 is an operation button for turning on/off thepower supply from the power output module 13 to the electric apparatuswhich is connected to the power output module 13 via, e.g. the powercable. In the case where the operation button 223 is pressed by theuser, the remote-control terminal 21 transmits to the power supply tap11 a control request including a power-on request or a power-off requestto the power output module 13.

The operation button 224 is an operation button for turning on/off thepower supply from all power output modules 12 and 13 at the same time.In the case where the operation button 224 is pressed by the user, theremote-control terminal 21 transmits to the power supply tap 11 acontrol request including a power-on request or a power-off request toeach of the power output modules 12 and 13.

The display module 23 displays the information relating to the poweramount, on the basis of the power amount sent from the power supply tap11. For example, the display module 23 may display the power amountitself which is sent from the power supply tap 11, or may display anelectricity charge corresponding to the power amount which is sent fromthe power supply tap 11. In this way, with the provision of the displaymodule 23 on the remote-control terminal 21, the user can easilyconfirm, at hand, the present amount of power consumed via the powersupply tap 11, and the power-saving effect at the time of power-off.

The solar cell module 24 is a power supply module which supplies powerto each module in the remote-control terminal 21. The solar cell module24 can perform photoelectric conversion and store electricity.Accordingly, the user can frequently perform, without paying attentionto the power consumption of the remote-control terminal 21, theoperation for confirming the amount of power consumed via the powersupply tap 11, and the operation for turning on/off the power supply tap11.

As described above, the communication between the remote-controlterminal 21 and the power supply tap 11 is executed by using notinfrared, but a wireless signal (radio wave). Therefore, the powersupply tap 11 can be remote-controlled from the remote-control terminal21 even in the case where an obstacle, such as electric equipment orfurniture, is present between the remote-control terminal 21 and thepower supply tap 11.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, structure examples of the power supply tap 11and remote-control terminal 21 are described.

The power supply tap 11 includes, in addition to the above-describedpower output modules 12 and 13, a power input module 401, switches 402and 403, a power supply module 404 and a communication control module500.

The power input module 401 is an input module which receives power thatis output from the plug socket which outputs commercial power. The powerinput module 401 is connected to the plug socket via a power cable, oris directly connected to the plug socket.

The switch 402 is a first switch circuit which is disposed between thepower input module 401 and the power output module (first power outputmodule) 12, and connects or disconnects the power input module 401 andthe power output module (first power output module) 12. The switch 402is used in order to turn on/off the supply of power from the poweroutput module (first power output module) 12 to the electric apparatus.

The switch 403 is a second switch circuit which is disposed between thepower input module 401 and the power output module (second power outputmodule) 13, and connects or disconnects the power input module 401 andthe power output module (second power output module) 13. The switch 403is used in order to turn on/off the supply of power from the poweroutput module (second power output module) 13 to the electric apparatus.

The power supply module 404 generates power for driving thecommunication control module 500. The power supply module 404 iscomposed of a cell, such as a button cell or a dry cell, which suppliespower to the communication control module 500. Thereby, power fordriving the communication control module 500 can be generated withoutproviding a circuit with a relatively low power conversion efficiency,such as an AC/DC converter, within the power supply tap 11. Therefore,the power consumption of the power supply tap 11 can be reduced.Needless to say, the power supply module 404 may be configured togenerate, from the power (AC power) that is input from the power inputmodule 401, DC power for driving the communication control module 500.

The communication control module 500 includes a wireless communicationmodule (first wireless reception module) 501, a wireless communicationmodule (first wireless transmission module) 502, a switch control module503 and a power observation module 504.

The wireless communication module (first wireless reception module) 501receives a control request which is sent from the remote-controlterminal 21 by a first wireless signal. The wireless communicationmodule (first wireless reception module) 501 includes a clock generatorwhich generates a clock signal having a lower frequency than a carrierwave frequency of the first wireless signal. The carrier wave frequencyof the first wireless signal is, for example, on the order of severalMHz to several GHz, and the frequency of the clock signal of the clockgenerator is, for example, on the order of several KHz. The wirelesscommunication module (first wireless reception module) 501 does not usethe carrier wave frequency of the first wireless signal in order todemodulate the received first wireless signal, but uses the clocksignal, which is generated from the clock generator, thereby executingthe demodulation of the received first wireless signal. In this manner,by executing the demodulation process in sync with the low-frequencyclock signal, the power consumed by each transistor in the wirelesscommunication module (first wireless reception module) 501 can bereduced. Specifically, since the communication speed (communicationrate) of the wireless communication, which is executed between theremote-control terminal 21 and the wireless communication module (firstwireless reception module) 501 by using the first wireless signal, isset at a low speed (low rate), the digital data string, whichconstitutes the control request, can correctly be demodulated even inthe case of using the internal clock signal that is generated from theinternal clock generator as the sync signal for the demodulationprocess, without generating a signal which is in sync with the carrierwave frequency of the first wireless signal. In other words, it shouldsuffice if the communication speed (communication rate) of the wirelesscommunication, which is executed between the remote-control terminal 21and the wireless communication module (first wireless reception module)501 by using the first wireless signal, is limited to the range of, e.g.several 100 bps to several kbps, which is not higher than thecommunication rate with which the demodulation can be executed by theinternal clock signal that is generated from the internal clockgenerator.

Normally, there is a relationship of a trade-off between the receptionsensitivity at the standby time of the wireless reception module and thepower consumption at the standby time of the wireless reception module.In the present embodiment, since the communication speed of wirelesscommunication, which is executed between the remote-control terminal 21and the wireless communication module (first wireless reception module)501 by using the first wireless signal, is low, even if the receptionsensitivity of the wireless communication module (first wirelessreception module) 501 is somewhat low, the control request that is sentfrom the remote-control terminal 21 can be received and demodulated.

The power observation module 504 is activated in the case where thecontrol request received by the wireless communication module (firstwireless reception module) 501 includes the power informationacquisition request, and the power observation module 504 observes thetotal amount of power consumed via the power supply tap 11, whichincludes the power supplied to the electric apparatus from the poweroutput module 12, 13 and the power consumed by the communication controlmodule 500. In short, the total amount of power, which is observed bythe power observation module 504, is the sum of the power supplied tothe electric apparatus from the power output module 12, 13 and the powerconsumed by the communication control module 500.

Specifically, the power observation module 504 executes a process ofmeasuring a first current flowing from the power input module 401 to thepower output module 12, 13, and a process of measuring a second currentflowing from the power supply module 404 to the communication controlmodule 500, and calculates the total amount of power from themeasurement result of the first current and the measurement result ofthe second current.

The wireless communication module (first wireless transmission module)502 sends, as a response to the power information acquisition request,the value that is observed by the power observation module 504 to theremote-control terminal 21 by a second wireless signal (radio wave). Thewireless communication module (first wireless transmission module) 502is activated only after the control request is received by the wirelesscommunication module (first wireless reception module) 501.

Accordingly, the communication speed of wireless communication, which isexecuted between the wireless communication module (first wirelesstransmission module) 502 and the remote-control terminal 21 by using thesecond wireless signal, does not need to be set at a low rate, and maybe set to be higher than the communication speed of wirelesscommunication, which is executed between the wireless communicationmodule (first wireless reception module) 501 and the remote-controlterminal 21 by using the first wireless signal. In other words, in thepresent embodiment, the communication speed of wireless communication,which is executed between the wireless communication module (firstwireless reception module) 501 and the remote-control terminal 21 byusing the first wireless signal, is lower than the communication speedof wireless communication, which is executed between the wirelesscommunication module (first wireless transmission module) 502 and theremote-control terminal 21 by using the second wireless signal. Withthis structure, the delay amount of the response to the control requestcan be minimized, while the power consumed at the standby time for thecontrol request from the remote-control terminal 21 can be reduced.

In the case where the control request that is received by the wirelesscommunication module (first wireless reception module) 501 includes thepower-off request, the switch control module 503 turns off one of theswitches 402 and 403, or both switches 402 and 403, thereby shutting offthe power supply from one of the power output modules 12 and 13 to theelectric apparatus which is connected to this one of the power outputmodules 12 and 13, or the power supply from both the power outputmodules 12 and 13 to the electric apparatuses which are connected to thepower output modules 12 and 13. The power-off request includesidentification information (ID) which designates the power output modulethat is to be powered off. For example, ID=1 designates the power outputmodule 12, ID=2 designates the power output module 13, and ID=ALLdesignates all power output modules provided in the power supply tap 11(the two power output modules 12 and 13 in this embodiment). The switchcontrol module 503 determines the switch that is to be turned off, inaccordance with the identification information (ID) that is included inthe power-off request.

In addition, in the case where the control request that is received bythe wireless communication module (first wireless reception module) 501includes the power-on request, the switch control module 503 executes aprocess of turning on one of the switches 402 and 403, or both theswitches 402 and 403. In this power-on process, too, the switch controlmodule 503 can determine the switch that is to be turned on, inaccordance with the identification information (ID) included in thepower-on request.

The remote-control terminal 21 includes a wireless communication module(second wireless transmission module) 301, a wireless communicationmodule (second wireless reception module) 302 and a conversion processmodule 303, in addition to the above-described input module 22, displaymodule 23 and solar cell module 24 which are shown in FIG. 1.

The wireless communication module (second wireless transmission module)301 transmits to the power supply tap 11, by the first wireless signal,the control request including the above-described power informationacquisition request, power-off request or power-on request, inaccordance with the user's operation of the various operation buttons inthe input module 22. The wireless communication for transmitting thecontrol request from the wireless communication module (second wirelesstransmission module) 301 to the wireless communication module (firstwireless reception module) 501 in the power supply tap 11 is executed ata low rate, as described above.

The wireless communication module (second wireless reception module) 302executes the wireless communication with the wireless transmissionmodule (first wireless transmission module) 502 in the power supply tap11, and receives the power information (observed power value, etc.)which is sent from the wireless transmission module (first wirelesstransmission module) 502 by the second wireless signal. The wirelesscommunication for transmitting the power information from the wirelesstransmission module (first wireless transmission module) 502 to thewireless communication module (second wireless reception module) 302 isexecuted, as described above, at a higher rate than the wirelesscommunication for transmitting the control request from the wirelesscommunication module (second wireless transmission module) 301 to thewireless communication module (first wireless reception module) 501 inthe power supply tap 11.

For example, the wireless transmission for transmitting the controlrequest from the wireless communication module (second wirelesstransmission module) 301 to the wireless communication module (firstwireless reception module) 501 may be realized by using a one-waywireless communication method with a low communication rate.

Besides, the wireless communication for transmitting the powerinformation from the wireless transmission module (first wirelesstransmission module) 502 to the wireless communication module (secondwireless reception module) 302 may be realized by using a two-waywireless communication method with a relatively high rate. In this case,each of the wireless transmission module (first wireless transmissionmodule) 502 and the wireless communication module (second wirelessreception module) 302 can be realized by a Bluetooth (trademark) moduleor a wireless LAN module.

The wireless communication for transmitting the power information fromthe wireless transmission module (first wireless transmission module)502 to the wireless communication module (second wireless receptionmodule) 302 may also be realized by using a one-way wirelesscommunication method with a low communication rate.

The conversion process module 303 executes, where necessary, a processof converting the value of power that is received by the wirelesscommunication module (second wireless reception module) 302. Forexample, in the case where the power value, which is sent from thewireless transmission module (first wireless transmission module) 502,is an instantaneous value, for instance, watt/second, the conversionprocess module 303 executes a process of converting the power value to apower value (watt/hour) indicative of power that is consumed per hour,an amount of power consumed per day, or an electricity charge per day ormonth.

Next, referring to a flow chart of FIG. 3, a description is given of theprocess of shutting off power supply to the electric apparatus byremote-control from the remote-control terminal 21.

If a power-off instruction is input from the input module 22 by theuser's operation of the operation button (operation button 222, 223 or224) (block S11), the wireless communication module (second wirelesstransmission module) 301 in the remote-control terminal 21 transmits thecontrol request including the power-off request to the power supply tap11 by the first wireless signal (block S12). The power-off requestincludes the ID for designating the power output module that is to bepowered off. The control request including the power-off request isreceived by the wireless communication module (first wireless receptionmodule) 501 in the power supply tap 11 (block S21).

In the power supply tap 11, in response to the reception of the controlrequest including the power-off request by the wireless communicationmodule (first wireless reception module) 501, activation request signalsare generated, for example, from the wireless communication module(first wireless reception module) 501 to the switch control module 503,power observation module 504 and wireless communication module (firstwireless transmission module) 502. Thereby, the switch control module503, power observation module 504 and wireless communication module(first wireless transmission module) 502 are activated.

The switch control module 503 turns off the switch corresponding to thepower output module which is designated by the ID included in thepower-off request, thereby shutting off power supply to the electricapparatus from the power output module that is designated by the IDincluded in the power-off request (block S22). Thus, for example, in thecase where the electric apparatus, which is connected to the poweroutput module designated by the ID, is in the standby state, the standbypower consumed by the electric apparatus can be reduced to zero.

In order to obtain an index which is indicative of the power-savingeffect by the turn-off control process in block S22, that is, thepower-saving effect by the turn-off of the switch, the power observationmodule 504 observes, for example, the variation in total amount of powerbefore and after the turn-off of the switch, or the total amount ofpower after the turn-off of the switch (block S23).

The wireless communication module (first wireless transmission module)502 sends, as a response to the power-off control request, the powerinformation indicative of the value, which is observed by the powerobservation module 504, to the remote-control terminal 21 by the secondwireless signal (block S24).

This power information is received by the wireless communication module(second wireless reception module) 302 in the remote-control terminal 21(block S13). In the remote-control terminal 21, the power informationthat is received by the wireless communication module (second wirelessreception module) 302 is subjected to a predetermined conversion processby the conversion process module 303, where necessary (block S14). Onthe basis of the received power information, the information indicativeof the power-saving effect by the power-off control process (e.g. theamount of power saved by the power-off control process, the amount ofpower consumed after the power-off control process, an electricitycharge saved by the power-off control process, or an electricity chargeafter the power-off control process) is displayed on the display screenof the display module 23 (block S15).

As has been described above, simply by inputting the power-offinstruction by operating the operation button of the remote-controlterminal 21, the user can shut off the power supply to a desiredelectric apparatus, and can easily confirm the power-saving effectresulting from the input of the power-off instruction, by viewing thedisplay module 23 of the remote-control terminal 21. Therefore, theuser's consciousness of energy saving can be enhanced.

Next, referring to a flow chart of FIG. 4, a description is given of theprocess of turning on power supply to the electric apparatus byremote-control from the remote-control terminal 21.

If a power-on instruction is input from the input module 22 by theuser's operation of the operation button (operation button 222, 223 or224) (block S31), the wireless communication module (second wirelesstransmission module) 301 in the remote-control terminal 21 transmits thecontrol request including the power-on request to the power supply tap11 by the first wireless signal (block S32). The power-on requestincludes the ID for designating the power output module that is to bepowered on. The control request including the power-on request isreceived by the wireless communication module (first wireless receptionmodule) 501 in the power supply tap 11 (block S51).

In the power supply tap 11, in response to the reception of the controlrequest including the power-on request by the wireless communicationmodule (first wireless reception module) 501, activation request signalsare generated, for example, from the wireless communication module(first wireless reception module) 501 to the switch control module 503,power observation module 504 and wireless communication module (firstwireless transmission module) 502. Thereby, the switch control module503, power observation module 504 and wireless communication module(first wireless transmission module) 502 are activated.

The switch control module 503 turns on the switch corresponding to thepower output module which is designated by the ID included in thepower-on request, thereby resuming power supply to the electricapparatus from the power output module that is designated by the IDincluded in the power-on request (block S52). Thus, for example, theelectric apparatus, which is connected to the power output moduledesignated by the ID, transitions from the power-off state to thestandby state, thus being able to receive an activation signal, forinstance, from a remote-control module which is associated with to thiselectric apparatus.

The power observation module 504 observes, for example, the total amountof power after the turn-on of the switch (block S53). The wirelesscommunication module (first wireless transmission module) 502 sends, asa response to the power-on control request, the power informationindicative of the value, which is observed by the power observationmodule 504, to the remote-control terminal 21 by the second wirelesssignal (block S54).

This power information is received by the wireless communication module(second wireless reception module) 302 in the remote-control terminal 21(block S33). In the remote-control terminal 21, the power informationthat is received by the wireless communication module (second wirelessreception module) 302 is subjected to a predetermined conversion processby the conversion process module 303, where necessary (block S34). Onthe basis of the received power information, the amount of powerconsumed after the power-on control process, or an electricity chargeafter the power-on control is displayed on the display screen of thedisplay module 23 (block S35).

Next, referring to a flow chart of FIG. 5, a description is given of theprocess of displaying, on the remote-control terminal 21, the amount ofpower that is currently consumed via the power supply tap 11, byremote-control from the remote-control terminal 21.

If a power information display instruction is input from the inputmodule 22 by the user's operation of the operation button (operationbutton 221) (block S61), the wireless communication module (secondwireless transmission module) 301 in the remote-control terminal 21transmits the control request including a power information acquisitionrequest to the power supply tap 11 by the first wireless signal (blockS62). The control request including the power information acquisitionrequest is received by the wireless communication module (first wirelessreception module) 501 in the power supply tap 11 (block S71).

In the power supply tap 11, in response to the reception of the controlrequest including the power information acquisition request by thewireless communication module (first wireless reception module) 501,activation request signals are generated, for example, from the wirelesscommunication module (first wireless reception module) 501 to the powerobservation module 504 and wireless communication module (first wirelesstransmission module) 502. Thereby, the power observation module 504 andwireless communication module (first wireless transmission module) 502are activated.

The power observation module 504 measures the current flowing from thepower input module 401 to the power output module 12, 13 and the currentflowing from the power supply module 404 to the communication controlmodule 500, thereby observing the total amount of power consumed by thepower supply tap 11, which includes the power supplied to at least oneelectric apparatus via the power supply tap 11 and the power consumed bythe communication control module 500 (block S72).

The wireless communication module (first wireless transmission module)502 sends, as a response to the power information acquisition request,the power information indicative of the value, which is observed by thepower observation module 504, to the remote-control terminal 21 by thesecond wireless signal (block S73).

This power information is received by the wireless communication module(second wireless reception module) 302 in the remote-control terminal 21(block S63). In the remote-control terminal 21, the power informationthat is received by the wireless communication module (second wirelessreception module) 302 is subjected to a predetermined conversion processby the conversion process module 303, where necessary (block S64). Onthe basis of the received power information, the information indicativeof the power consumed via the power supply tap 11 (e.g. the amount ofpower that is currently consumed via the power supply tap 11, or anelectricity charge corresponding to the amount of power that iscurrently consumed via the power supply tap 11) is displayed on thedisplay screen of the display module 23 (block S65).

As has been described above, simply by inputting the power informationdisplay instruction by operating the operation button of theremote-control terminal 21, the user can easily confirm the informationrelating to the amount of power, which is currently consumed via thepower supply tap 11, by viewing the display module 23 of theremote-control terminal 21. Therefore, the user can understand, forexample, how much power is consumed by the electric apparatus and thecommunication control module 500 in the power supply tap 11, and can,where necessary, perform operations for setting the electric apparatusin the standby state by the remote-control module that is associatedwith the electric apparatus, shutting off the power supply to theelectric apparatus in the standby state by inputting the power-offinstruction by operating the input module 22, or pulling out the powersupply tap 11 itself from the plug socket.

As has been described above, according to the present embodiment, thepower observation module 504 in the power supply tap 11 operates onlywhen the control request from the remote-control terminal 21 is receivedby the wireless communication module (first wireless reception module)501. Thereby, the power consumption by the communication control module500 can be reduced, compared to the case in which the power observationmodule 504 is always in operation. In addition, in the presentembodiment, the power consumed at the standby time for waiting for thecontrol request from the remote-control terminal 21 is, basically, onlythe standby power of the wireless communication module (first wirelessreception module) 501 in the communication control module 500. Thus, thepower (standby power of the communication control module 500), which isconsumed by the communication control module 500 at the standby time forwaiting for the control request from the remote-control terminal 21, isvery small.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, the user is informed of the amountof power consumed via the power supply tap 11, with consideration givento the amount power consumed by the communication control module 500.Therefore, the correct amount of power which is consumed via the powersupply tap 11, or a correct electricity charge corresponding to thisamount of power, can be presented to the user. Furthermore, the powersupply to the electric apparatus can be shut off by remote-control fromthe remote-control terminal 21, thereby reducing to zero the power(standby power) which is consumed by the electric apparatus in thestandby state. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, uselesspower consumption can be reduced, and the operation relating to powersaving by the user can sufficiently be supported.

The present embodiment is configured to transmit, as a response to thepower-off request, the power information from the power supply tap 11 tothe remote-control terminal 21. However, it is not always necessary toreturn the power information from the power supply tap 11 to theremote-control terminal 21. The reason for this is that if the userexecutes the operation for inputting the power information displayinstruction after executing the operation for inputting the power-offinstruction, the user can confirm the power-saving effect by thepower-off. Thus, in the case where the power information is not returnedas a response to the power-off request, the power observation module 504may be configured to be activated only when the received control requestincludes the power information acquisition information.

In the present embodiment, the case in which the power supply tap 11 isprovided with two power output modules is exemplified. Alternatively,the number of power output module s, which are provided in the powersupply tap 11, may be one.

In the present embodiment, the solar cell module 24 is mounted in theremote-control terminal 22. Alternatively, a charging system using aphotocapacitor may be utilized.

The various modules of the systems described herein can be implementedas software applications, hardware and/or software modules, orcomponents on one or more computers, such as servers. While the variousmodules are illustrated separately, they may share some or all of thesame underlying logic or code.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, theseembodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel methodsand systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of otherforms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in theform of the methods and systems described herein may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims andtheir equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications aswould fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.

1. A remote power control system comprising a power supply tap and aremote-control terminal configured to remotely control the power supplytap by a wireless signal, the power supply tap comprising: a power inputmodule configured to receive power; a power output module configured tooutput the power to an electric apparatus; a switch disposed between thepower input module and the power output module; and a communicationcontrol module configured to wirelessly communicate with theremote-control terminal, the communication control module comprising afirst wireless reception module configured to receive a control requesttransmitted from the remote-control terminal by a first wireless signal,a power observation module configured to be activated when the controlrequest received by the first wireless reception module comprises apower information acquisition request and configured to observe a totalamount of power consumed via the power supply tap, the total amount ofpower comprising power supplied to the electric apparatus from the poweroutput module and power consumed by the communication control module, afirst wireless transmission module configured to transmit the totalamount of power observed by the power observation module to theremote-control terminal by a second wireless signal, and a switchcontrol module configured to turn off the switch in order to shut offpower supply to the electric apparatus from the power output module whenthe control request received by the first wireless reception modulecomprises a power-off request, and the remote-control terminalcomprising: an input module; a second wireless transmission moduleconfigured to transmit the control request comprising either the powerinformation acquisition request or the power-off request, to the powersupply tap by the first wireless signal in response to an operation ofthe input module; a second wireless reception module configured toreceive the observed total amount of power transmitted from the powersupply tap by the second wireless signal; and a display configured todisplay information relating to the power consumed via the power supplytap based on the total amount of power received by the second wirelessreception module.
 2. The remote power control system of claim 1, whereinthe power observation module is configured to observe either a valueindicative of a difference between the total amounts of power before andafter turn-off of the switch or a value indicative of the total amountof power after the turn-off of the switch, and the first wirelesstransmission module is configured to transmit the value observed by thepower observation module to the remote-control terminal by the secondwireless signal as information indicative of a power saving effect bythe turn-off of the switch, if the received control request comprisesthe power-off request.
 3. The remote power control system of claim 1,wherein the first wireless transmission module is activated after thecontrol request is received by the first wireless reception module. 4.The remote power control system of claim 3, wherein a wirelesscommunication between the second wireless transmission module and thefirst wireless reception module by using the first wireless signal isslower than a wireless communication between the first wirelesstransmission module and the second wireless reception module by usingthe second wireless signal.
 5. The remote power control system of claim1, wherein the power supply tap comprises a cell configured to supplypower to the communication control module.
 6. The remote power controlsystem of claim 1, wherein the remote-control terminal comprises a solarcell module configured to supply power to the input module, the secondwireless transmission module, the second wireless reception module andthe display.
 7. A power supply tap configured to wirelessly communicatewith a remote-control terminal, comprising: a power input moduleconfigured to receive power; a power output module configured to outputthe power to an electric apparatus; a switch disposed between the powerinput module and the power output module; and a communication controlmodule configured to execute wireless communication with theremote-control terminal, the communication control module comprising awireless reception module configured to receive a control requesttransmitted from the remote-control terminal by a first wireless signal,a power observation module configured to be activated when the controlrequest received by the wireless reception module comprises a powerinformation acquisition request, and configured to observe a totalamount of power consumed via the power supply tap, the total amount ofpower comprising power supplied to the electric apparatus from the poweroutput module and power consumed by the communication control module, awireless transmission module configured to transmit the total amount ofpower observed by the power observation module to the remote-controlterminal by a second wireless signal, and a switch control moduleconfigured to turn off the switch in order to shut off power supply tothe electric apparatus from the power output module when the controlrequest received by the wireless reception module comprises a power-offrequest.
 8. The power supply tap of claim 7, wherein the powerobservation module is configured to observe either a value indicative ofa difference between the total amounts of power before and after theturn-off of the switch or a value indicative of the total amount ofpower after the turn-off of the switch, and the wireless transmissionmodule is configured to transmit the value observed by the powerobservation module to the remote-control terminal by the second wirelesssignal as information indicative of a power saving effect by theturn-off of the switch, when the received control request comprises thepower-off request.
 9. The power supply tap of claim 7, wherein thewireless transmission module is activated after the control request isreceived by the wireless reception module.
 10. The power supply tap ofclaim 9, wherein a wireless communication between the second wirelesstransmission module and the first wireless reception module by using thefirst wireless signal is slower than a wireless communication betweenthe first wireless transmission module and the second wireless receptionmodule by using the second wireless signal.